Masking plate for transferring a picture



Aug. 15, 1961 J. M. MUNRO MASKING PLATE FOR TRANSFERRING A PICTUREOriginal Filed June 9, 1954 5 Sheets-Sheet l Aug. 15, 1961 J. M. MUNRO2,996,104

MASKING PLATE FOR TRANSFERRING A PICTURE Original Filed June 9, 1954 3Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR cl mewM'lz on Munro BY M ATTO NEY.

Aug. 15, 1961 J. M. MUNRO 2,996,104

MASKING PLATE FOR TRANSFERRING A PICTURE Original Filed June 9, 1954 3Sheets-Sheet 3 g ATTORNEY.

United States Patent 2,996,104 MASKING PLATE FOR TRANSFERRING A PICTUREJames Milton Munro, 5629 Pine St., Philadelphia 43, Pa. Originalapplication June 9, 1954, Ser. No. 435,596, now Patent No. 2,819,196,dated Jan. 7, 1958. Divided and this application Oct. 28, 1957, Ser. No.692,694

1 Claim. (Cl. 154-1) This invention relates to a masking plate useful ina method of mounting pictures in scrapbooks, to a method of preservingpictures by mounting on a suitable surface, and to a method oftransferring pictures from printed paper to another surface. Referenceis made to parent application Ser. No. 435,596, filed June 9, 1954, nowUS. Patent 2,819,196, for a Method of Transferring a Picture, of whichthis is a division.

Heretofore it has been known that a newspaper picture could betransferred to waxed paper by a method comprising the application ofpressure to the waxed surface. The quality of the picture thustransferred has been sutficiently poor that the method has beenpracticed to only a limited extent.

In accordance with the invention of said parent application, a pictureis transferred from printed paper to a scrapbook, mounting board, oranother surface bya method comprising the steps of: providing a thinmasking plate having a central opening and marginal portions adjacentthe edges of said central opening, said masking plate being constructedof metal or related smooth surface material to which pressure sensitivetape can be temporarily positioned with little adhesion; temporarilyadhering to said marginal edges a strip of transparent pressuresensitive tape of suflicient width to bridge said central opening of themasking plate; positioning the masking plate on the printed paper thethickness of said paper comprising a base portion and a printed portion;applying pressure to the smooth surface of the transparent tape to pushthe pressure sensitive portion thereof onto the picture to betransferred, such pressure being applied only to the portion .of thetapein said central opening of the masking plate, and not to themarginal portions guarded or protected by the masking plate and rapidlysnapping (i.e. applying a rapid movement to) the tape to peel away thetape from both the paper and the marginal portions of the masking plateand the thickness of the paper is split so that the printed portionadheres to the tape, whereby the picture is transferred from the printedpaper to the transparent tape and the masking plate acts to cut the thussplit-off printed portion of the paper to provide smooth edges for thepicture; and Securing the transparent tape to a scrapbook, mountingboard, or other surface by means of the marginal portions of thepressure sensitive tape. The picture is seen that the transparent tape,and appears glossy whether the picture was transferred from a newspaper, or glossy magazine, or other fibrous printed paper. Ordinarily aportion of the thickness of the printed paper is removed as the pressuresensitive tape is rapidly peeled away, and the paper thus removed is thebacking of the picture visible through the transparent tape secured toanother surface by the marginal adhesive portions.

In accordance with the present invention, said method employs a maskingplate comprising a smooth thin member providing a minimized adherence topressure sensitive adhesive tape, said plate having an aestheticallypleasing central opening, and said plate having guide lines indicatingthe position for a transparent pressure sensitive tape of predeterminedwidth, said guide line ice being substantially symmetrical to the centerof said opening.

Because the method is operative without regard to the reasons therefore,no proof of the theory of operation has been obtained. Possibly thepressure sensitive tape forms a temporary bond with the paper which, asmeasured in the usual slow peeling test (e.g. one centimeter per second)has only a few ounces of adhesive strength. The process of delaminatingthe pressure sensitive tape from the printed paper may require a smallbut finite time. When the peeling is conducted at a speed greatly inexcess of the de-adhering capacity of the tape, advantage may be takenof the momentary adhesive strength between the pressure sensitive tapeand the printed paper, and if this is greater than the delaminationstrength (related to the tensile strength) of the printed paper, a layerof paper (comprising the printed picture) may be pulled from the body ofthe paper sheet as the tape is so rapidly peeled. The peeling speednecessary for effective transfer of picture by said method appears to bedependent in part upon the tensile strength and smoothness of theprinted paper. The very glossy paper of magazines provide a degree ofmomentary adherence which is very much smaller than for newspapers. Inorder to obtain good transfer from such glossy paper, it is necessary toemploy greater pressure during the initial securing of the tape onto thepicture to be transferred and it is also necessary to peel the tape withgreater rapidity than would be necessary in transferring a picture froma printed paper having a lower tensile strength, delaminating strength,and/or surface roughness (e.g. a newspaper). Although the average personwho is trained to practice the method of the present invention readilylearns the differences between excessively slow and sufliciently rapidremoval of the tape from the combination of the masking plate and theprinted paper, certain advantages are attained by attaining a speed oflineal peeling in excess of one foot per second. In order to accelerateto such a high speed quickly, the movement is desirably started so thatthe tape peels from a portion of the masking plate at an end of thecentral opening before the commencement of the peeling of the tape andFIGURE 6.

Referring now in detail to the drawings, there is shown a method oftransferring a picture, represented by the numeral 8, from a printedpaper 10 to a scrapbook, display card or other surface. A thin maskingplate 11 is constructed of metal or similar smooth surface having littleadhesion for pressure sensitive adhesives. The masking plate ischaracterized by a central opening 12 around which are marginal surfaces13. Transparent pressure sensitive adhesive tape 14, of a width slightlygreater than the widest portion of the central opening 12, can bewithdrawn from a dispenser 15. The dispenser 15 may be of theconventional type having a cutting blade 16. The operator can hold thedispenser 15 in a right hand 17, and with a left thumb 18 temporarilyaffix an end of the transparent tape 14 to a terminal marginal portion13 of the metallic masking plate 11, as shown in FIG. 1. The tape can betemporarily secured to a suflicient portion of the masking plate 11 tobridge the central opening 12, and the com- -bination of the tape andmasking plate can be placed overthe printed picture to be transferred.Pressure can be applied to the smooth surface of that portion of thetape 14 bridging the central opening 12, thereby forcing -thepressure-sensitive adhesivesurfaceofthe tape 14 into at least one footper second. Because of the great rapidity of the unpeeling action, theprinted picture is transferred from theprinted paper to the transparenttape 14. If the printed paper '10 is similar to newspaper stock, somedelamination of the paper 10 will result, leaving a thin layer 19 ofpaper on the tape 14, and leaving a middle layer 20 of the paperexposed, asshown in FIGURE 4.

After the printed picture has thus been transferred to the transparenttape, the combination of the tape and picture can be mounted in ascrapbook, on a display card, or on some other suitable surface 21. Theportions of the tape previously engaged with the marginal surfaces 13 ofthe masking plate have the active pressure sensitive adhesive surface bywhich the combination is thus mounted to the surface 21, as shown inFIGURE 5.

The masking plate 11 may be constructed of thin smooth plastic, thinsmooth metal, or other material of minimized tendency to adhere topressure sensitive tape. The central opening 12 must be of an artisticand aesthetically pleasing shape, such as a rectangle.

As shown in FIGURES 6-8, a masking plate 111 can be provided with aslidable cover 122 for an elongated slot 123. The cover can be shiftedso that a roundended opening 124 can be shortened or lengthened, and sothat a square ended opening 125 can also be shortened or lengthened.Handles 126 can be provided to make it easier to shift the slide 122 inslots 127.

Ordinarily it is desirable to provide a masking plate adapted for atransparent tape of a predetermined width, and adjustable merely for thelength of tape to be employed. However, a masking plate with lateraladjust- 4 ability could be provided. It should be especially noted thatthe masking plate 111 and slide 122 are provided with guide lines 128indicating the correct location of the edges of the tape, whereby thetape can be positioned to bridge either the opening 124 or the opening125 with adhesion.to substantially equal lateral marginal surfaces 113.

In other modifications of masking plates in which the central opening isheart shaped, circular, or of other artistic design, the provision ofguide lines on the masking plate greatly simplifies the task ofpositioningthe tape symmetrically.

Although certain embodiments have been given by way of example andillustration, it is obvious that various modifications of the structuresand/or method may be made without departing from the spirit of theinvention as defined in the appended claim.

The invention claimed is:

A masking plate for transferring a picture comprising: a plate having acentral opening whereby the bottom edge of the plate may serve as acutting edge for delaminating paper at the edges of the central opening;a slidable cover of substantially the same width as said plate, saidslidable cover being slidably engaged with the plate at each side forlongitudinal sliding of the cover on'the plate, said slidable coverpartially covering the central opening in at least one position, saidslidable cover having a downward and inwardly tapered edge contiguoustosaid central opening; handle means on the slidable cover to facilitatethe shifting of the slidable cover along the plate; and guidelines onthe surface of the plate and spaced from the longitudinal edges of thecentral opening, said guide lines being parallel to each other toindicate the correct location for the edges of transparent,pressure-sensitive tape.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS888,082 Grimson May 19, 1908 2,435,516 Samson Feb. 3, 1948 2,596,253Kurkjean May 13, 1952 2,679,695 Bungay June 1, 1954 2,718,190 Bean Sept.20, 1955 2,741,220 Belisle Apr. 10, 1956

